93 escort heater core?

Question

I have a 1993 ford escort that is starting to loose coolant, and I get the coolant smell and fogging of the windows. Everything points to heater core, but I am getting estimates of $650 to $950 (if ac has to be recharged). Everyone says take out the whole dash at 7. hours, but I read that there is a panel under the passenger side dash that can be removed to access the core. Is this true? Is there any other possibilities to check first?

Answer 1

nope... ya gotta pull the dash out. There are a cpl of cheats that can keep you from tearing down the whole dash, but the price quoted is fair for what has to be done. Good luck.

Answer 2

I own a 93 Ford Escort GT and recently replaced the heater core myself. I did have to pull the dash from the car and the whole project took me about 6 hours to complete. It was not a fun task, but I did save a lot of money by doing it myself. I did have to use a Chapman set to get to the screws that mount the dash right near the windshield...real tight in there. Also, be careful putting it back together and dont force anything too terribly hard. After I re-installed the upper dash, I noticed that a crack had formed over the top of the instrument cluster after a few days.

I used a small plastic case that has several different compartments in it to hold the screws. I write on the lid of the case with a marker, over the top of each compartment, as to the location of the screws. That can be wiped off later with a little alcohol. You'll also need a set of Torx wrenches...most Escort owners know that already. Good luck!!